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Which DCC system?


Railnut
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It is a very personal decision. You need to try several systems. Digitrains at Lincoln and various exhibitions, have several set up on a layout and are most helpful. DCC Supplies probably have something similar and I have heard good reports about Coastal DCC. I have tried ZTC, ESU EcOS, both Bachmann types and all 3 Hornby types. My favourite is Z21 by Roco/Fleischmann but it may not be for you.

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Apologies - I've moved these posts here as a new topic to separate them from Jim's layout thread.

I agree with Riddles that a DCC system is a personal choice and you do need to test several out in order to find one that suits your needs. I've tried Gaugemaster Prodigy Advance and Z21 and each has their good and bad points.

I had got used to and was happy enough with the Gaugemaster until the handsets started playing up. First of all the circular knob stopped working (a rheostat I think they call it) so I decided to add the wireless handset which gave me a lot more freedom to move around the garden. Then that started playing up too so rather than mess around I gave the Z21 a try.

It took me a while to get used to the Z21. I tried using it with my phone and with an android tablet but when you've been used to a proper handset it felt a bit awkward controlling things with your phone. I also found it difficult trying to program anything until I added 'decoder pro' software on my laptop and began using that as well. I added a Multimaus wireless handset which, like the Gaugemaster mentioned earlier, allows free movement around the garden but occasionally even when I'm inside the shed and only feet away from the Z21 it loses wireless connection with the router and I have a runaway train! I don't know what the problem is there.

I like the Z21 for consisting more than a single loco together but it does take a bit of time to actually set up. You have to determine how long it takes each loco to cover a set distance over a series of speed steps and enter that data into the Z21 app. This only needs doing once. When you then add 2 (or more) loco's to a train Z21 works out each loco's speed so that they run together smoothly. It works well on the few occasions I've tried.

With the Gaugemaster handset (and the Multimaus too) you can activate a new loco's sounds/functions immediately simply by pressing the relevant function button. Using the Z21 app and your phone handset or tablet you have to enter each individual function and choose from a list of symbols before any functions can be used. It's time consuming but again, only needs doing when you first add the new loco to your roster.

I'm still not 100% happy or completely at ease with the Z21 but for now I'll continue using it.

If it were me I would certainly look for something with a handset controller (preferably wireless) and accept the additional use of mobile phones or tablets as an added bonus and look at how easy each system is for programming of decoder CV's.

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